Todd McAfee
Real Name: Todd McAfee Nicknames: No Known Nicknames Location: Arcadia, Florida Date: August 17, 1987 Case Details: In the summer of 1986, twenty-six-year-old Todd McAfee became the manager of a 300-acre Myakka City tomato farm located off State Road 70 for the Bonita Packing Company. He lived and had an office in a company trailer on the property. He was an avid gun collector and would often target shoot behind his home. It was well known in the area that he kept his valuable gun collection in his trailer. At 6:30AM on the morning of August 18, 1987, the farm's laborers were surprised to find that Todd had not unlocked the gate for them. Foreman Adam Williams had to come to let them in. He then noticed Todd's truck parked in front of his car near the trailer. He thought this was odd, as Todd normally parked it behind his car. By 7AM, there was still no sign of Todd. Adam went over to check inside his trailer. He noticed two empty handgun cases on the floor. He also noticed that the answering machine's tape was missing; however, the spindles were still spinning. He turned the machine off. Two hours later, another farm employee found a bag of groceries in the front of Todd's truck. They appeared to have been left overnight. They also found a newly rented videotape. The keys were still in the truck's ignition. Lying in the bed of the pickup were Todd's glasses which were covered in blood. At around the same time, two miles away, some of the laborers were looking for water for their overheated truck when they discovered his body; he had been shot four times and dumped in a drainage ditch. Investigators determined that Todd had been shot with .22 caliber hollow-point bullets. Spatters of blood were found in the sand near his body. This led them to believe that at least two people carried his body, placed it in the sand, and then picked it up again and placed it in the ditch. Locals knew that this ditch was the home to an eighteen-foot alligator. It was speculated that the killers had hoped that the alligator would have eaten the body. However, the body was discovered before this could occur. Footprints were also discovered at the site. All of Todd's employees were interrogated and their shoes videotaped. However, no matches were found. Along with the bloody glasses, investigators found that the seat of Todd's truck was covered in blood. An empty gun case was also found on the truck's dashboard. Inside his trailer, they discovered that his gun collection, which included five guns, was missing, along with a VCR and a few cameras. They suspected that Todd had been killed for his gun collection. A receipt found in the grocery bag in Todd's truck helped pinpoint the time of his death to between 6:30 and 7PM. At around 6:15PM on the night of August 17, two of his friends passed by the trailer and noticed an orange van parked next to it. The orange van had been seen earlier at a local gas station. A customer had struck up a conversation with a female occupant of the van. One of the male occupants came out of the store, struck her repeatedly, and then forced her into the van. Another man also entered the van and the three left. Investigators believe that on the night of August 17, he was ambushed by the van's occupants after discovering his trailer was being burglarized. Tire tracks show that he sped up to the trailer, apparently realizing it was burglarized. They believe he was attacked outside of his trailer as he exited his truck. They believe he was then placed back in his truck and driven to the ditch where he was dumped. His family has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identity of his killer/killers. mcafee female suspect.jpg|Composite of Female Suspect mcafee male suspect.jpg|Composite of Male Suspect (Rob) Suspects: Investigators believe that the motive for Todd's murder was to steal his gun collection. They believe the guns are either being hoarded by the killer(s) or are being sold and taken out of the country. They suspect that the killer(s) were known to Todd and were probably locals. However, no suspects have been identified. Investigators are trying to locate two suspicious men and a woman who were seen at a gas station near Todd's home on the night of August 17. According to one witness, she and the woman were talking at the station when one of the men came out from the store and started assaulting her. He also said "What are you trying to do, get us in trouble?" They and another man named "Runt" got into an orange van and drove off. The same van was seen next to Todd's trailer that same evening. They have never been identified. The van was a mid- to late-1970s model with a tinted porthole near the rear. It has no other side windows. An automatic weapon was seen in the vehicle. One man, called "Rob", was described as 5'8" and 180 pounds with a light growth of beard and curly, sandy brown hair. He appeared to be in his early to mid-30s. He had a large tattoo of an eagle on his left arm. The second man, called "Runt", was 6' to 6'2" with a thin build and straight, brown, shoulder-length hair. The woman was described as 5' 6" with a very thin build. She was in her mid- to late 20s and had a light complexion and light brown shoulder-length hair, witnesses said. She appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was wearing a necklace with the letters "R B". Extra Notes: This segment originally aired on the September 13, 1989 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Results: Unresolved. In 1991, a prison inmate named Jacob Wesley Scott, serving time at Desoto County Jail, told police that he had information about Todd's murder. Scott claimed that he was in jail with Todd's housekeeper, Ruthie Mae Anderson, and that she told him that she had planned the burglary of Todd's trailer with the intention of stealing money. She believed that he had kept the payroll there. She claimed that she, her husband, and another man went to the trailer and that Todd was killed when he came upon them burglarizing the place. Another break in the case occurred when a man was arrested with a .30-caliber Plainfield semiautomatic rifle, which had been stolen from Todd's home. The man told police that Ruthie's husband, Wilbur Anderson, had sold him the gun. Wilbur had also previously worked for Todd. Investigators later located the orange van seen at Todd's home in a Mississippi junkyard. The junkyard owner told police that Wilbur had sold it to him. In October of 1994, Ruthie Anderson, then forty-one, was charged with Todd's murder. However, the case against her was dismissed when Jacob Scott recanted his testimony. Both Ruthie and Wilbur were released. Ruthie is believed to now be living in Mississippi, while Wilbur is believed to be living in Alabama. Officially, the case remains unsolved. Links: * Investigator, mother seek clues in 1987 murder (Page 1) (Page 2) * Unsolved murders not forgotten * Slaying haunts after 25 years * 25 years after Todd McAfee slaying, hope lingers * SitcomsOnline Discussion of Todd McAfee (includes articles) ---- Category:Florida Category:1987 Category:Murder Category:Burglary Category:Van-Related Cases Category:Unresolved